When Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov paid for a gigantic billboard of himself and Jay Z to be unveiled within shouting distance of Madison Square Garden in June 2010, it was a clear statement of the franchise’s intent to compete for the hearts and minds of every fan inside the city limits as it prepared to move to Brooklyn.

Now, with the Knicks in the midst of possibly the worst season in their franchise’s history, Nets CEO Brett Yormark thinks the Nets have an opportunity to make further inroads into the marketplace with a third straight playoff appearance.

“You have these small windows from time to time where you can seize the opportunity, if you will,” Yormark said. “Right now, I look at this season as one of those windows where you can kind of seize the opportunity to one, get your current fans to want more, and for that matter for fans who are outside looking in to think, ‘Boy, I like what’s going on over there.’ I truly believe that. That’s why, [Nets general manager Billy King] and I discuss this all the time, making the playoffs this year I think is very, very important, because you can start then to look at where you’ve been and say, ‘We’re building something.’ ”

These were similar sentiments to ones Yormark expressed last week at Sports Business Summit in Manhattan, where he said “the reality of it” is the two local franchises are competing with each other, and he wants the Nets to “own this city.”

The problem for the Nets is they haven’t exactly taken advantage of the terrible season their rivals are having. The Nets are 25-36 after Sunday’s 95-88 loss to the Jazz in Brooklyn. They are 2 ¹/₂ games out of a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

But despite being 11 games under .500, the lack of depth in the East has allowed the Nets to have a shot at a third straight playoff trip — which the franchise only has done three times in its nearly 40 seasons in the NBA.

““Listen, we’re in the storytelling business, and you want to be able to tell a story,” Yormark said “That, to me, is critical … if we can continue to play well and get in the playoffs, now you can look to the season as being a positive one, and I do look at it that way.

“Billy and I do discuss it quite a bit. Not that making the playoffs is overly essential, but as we want to continue to grow this thing and grow our fan base, you want to show some consistency. And consistency for me is being in the playoffs every year, being part of that conversation and being relevant.”

The Nets have sought not just being relevant, but on an even footing with the Knicks since plotting their move to Brooklyn years ago. While the franchise still has a ways to go to get to that point — consider they recently were cited as having the league’s lowest local TV rating by Sports Business Journal, and lag significantly behind the Knicks — Yormark believes they can get there.

“I’m a guy that concedes nothing,” Yormark said. “My organization has that in their DNA. We will concede nothing. We will always dream big, we’re happy but we’re never satisfied, we want more, and you have to have lofty goals in order to really go out there and push it.

“Our goals are lofty. Obviously when you think about the Knicks, they have a legacy fan base, one that’s been there for years. We’re in some respects the new kids on the block at least since we’ve been in Brooklyn. Do I think we have the brand and an opportunity to really make a dent in the marketplace with respect to what teams fans root for? Absolutely. But it takes time.”